The Investment
by lynalexandria
Summary: Fitzgerald Grant is a real estate mogul who has everything except the one thing he really wants. He's looking to invest into some small companies when he meets Olivia, a entrepreneur with dreams of her own. Will they be able to make it work? ONE SHOT.


**NSFW**

* * *

Fitzgerald Grant gracefully climbed out of his black Range Rover and stepped onto the hot pavement connected to the busy street. After grabbing his briefcase, he rounded the corner of his vehicle and headed towards his office building. A smile crept up on his face daily when he made it in to work and saw the name 'Grant Reality' on a golden plaque next to the front door of the building.

He lived, breathed, and ate routine. He threw his keys to Chad the valet, as he did every morning, then winked at him. 'Don't scratch the paint.'

Chad chuckled softly but rolled his eyes to himself. He had been hearing Fitz say that lame one liner for the past 5 years and it had definitely gotten old by now. He caught the keys in his hands and said, as he did every morning, 'Wouldn't dream of it, Mr. Grant. Have a great day.'

Fitz smiled and nodded in his direction then walked inside his office building. A pleasant smile spread across his face when he saw people busily walking around with papers and documents in their hands. Everybody seemed to be starting the day off working hard and that was definitely something he liked to see.

Out of habit, he shifted his briefcase to his left hand and then reached out into the open air with his right hand. Seconds later, his assistant Charlotte put a cup of coffee into his extended limb. This was how she had been greeting her boss since she had been working there. Every morning she came to him with a coffee and a smile and they got their day started.

'Whats on the agenda for the day, Charlotte?' Fitz asked as he briskly walked towards the elevators of the building. He had recently redecorated the whole entire first floor. It was smooth with white marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and the doors of the elevators were gold. He dealt with high end clients and he wanted the space to scream 'fancy and expensive' when they walked in.

'We have a full schedule for the day, Mr. Grant.' Charlotte said hurriedly as she rushed to walk in front of him. His long strides made the task difficult but she managed it every single day. She reached to grab her retractable i.d. card that was attached to her suit jacket and swiped across the scanner next to the private elevator.

'Details, details.' Fitz pressed as he sipped his drink and they stepped inside. A smile crept up on his face as the hot liquid touched the inside of his mouth. Every morning, Fitz drank a large black coffee from the Starbucks connected to his building and every morning it seemed to get better.

'Well, you have a conference call in 20 minutes with Freedman from Atlanta, after thats over you have meetings lined for the rest of the day and the last potential business owner will be here to see you 4:30 this afternoon.'

Fitz smiled and nodded his head. He had been meeting with small business owners for the past 2 weeks in search for the perfect person to invest in. This would be a completely new venture for him but he was definitely up for the challenge. It was something about seeing people fired up about their passions that he liked. Even though he had one more candidate to see this afternoon, he was pretty firm on who he was going to choose.

Jacob Hamilton Ballard was Navy veteran who had been working on a technology software that he wanted to go global. Fitz had had one meeting with him and he loved his 'Get up and go spirit' as he put it. He hadn't found a better candidate and was ready to make Jake an offer this afternoon. The only reason he hadn't is because Charlotte had insisted it would be rude to ignore the other applicants.

'An interesting Friday, I see.'

'As usual, sir.' Charlotte nodded her head.

When the elevator finally arrived on the 22nd floor, they stepped off together and headed straight for his office. After Charlotte got settled into her desk, Fitz went inside his office and hung his sports jacket over his chair.

After grabbing his cup of coffee, he went and stood by the wide windows in his office and smiled appreciatively. He loved having his own exclusive view of the city. Whenever he felt weary or frustrated, he would just turn around in his office chair and take a few deep breaths and be ready to work again.

'This is what I work for.' he mumbled to himself, just as he did every morning.

He had worked hard to earn this view, though. Some would say that Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III had it all. At the age of 37, he had accumulated a number of fancy cars, homes around the world, good looks- what more could anybody want? Oddly enough, there always seemed to be some type of void in his chest. There was no better way to describe it other than it just felt as if something was missing.

Before he let his mind drift off too far, his office phone rang. He glanced at the caller id and chuckled and shook his head. Leave it to Freedman to call early every single time. Fitz flopped back in his seat and grabbed his stress ball from the table and squeezed it a few times before answering.

'Freedman, you old dog! How's it been?'

* * *

Fitz glanced down at his watch and sighed. It was 4:15 and this meeting with 11 of his most annoying lawyers had absolutely no end in sight. There was no way in the world he was going to be able to make it to his 4:30 meeting with the potential business owner and he would have to reschedule it for Monday.

He rose from his seat abruptly but nobody in the conference room dared to check him for his actions. They all knew he could have their heads and jobs served up on a silver platter if that's what he wanted to do. 'I need to take a small break. Please continue without me. I'll be back shortly.'

The group nodded in his direction and Fitz left the room and headed towards the restroom areas on the first floor. He turned his attention down to his phone to send Charlotte a text to reschedule his meeting for Monday. Fitz was confident that he'd be choosing Mr. Ballard regardless of his meeting today so he honestly didn't care much for it. Just as he sent the message and put his phone back into his pocket, he tripped over something and fell flat on his face. Fitz wasn't a clumsy guy by any means but usually when he walked, people made way for him.

There were plenty of people buzzing around the first floor but when they noticed their esteemed leader fall to the ground, it was as if the world completely stopped. He braced himself on his hands and looked up then swallowed hard. Sitting on the floor across from him was a little girl, no more than 3, with tears swelling in her little eyes.

He was aware that they had a daycare center on the first floor for employees with children and he would often stop by there to visit. His mother used to always say that he had an 'old soul but a young spirit', whatever that meant. Fitz loved to watch the children play around and would often stop by for a story time and read a book. He had never seen this little girl before, though. He would've definitely remembered her.

Noticing that all eyes were on him, he glanced up at the employees and motioned for them to continue on their way. Fitz crawled over to the little girl, ignoring the pain in his own body, and smiled at her. She smelled like baby oil and coconut and had a dark purple lipstick mark on her honey toned cheek; obviously left by her doting mother. He sat next to her on the floor and almost melted when she looked up at him with her big hazel eyes.

'Hey, hey. No crying, ok?' Fitz soothed in the most calming voice he could muster. 'I'm so sorry for running into you. Sometimes big people get caught up on their phones and forget to look where they're going.' he said, his tone extremely apologetic.

The little girl nodded her head and popped her thumb in her mouth, trying to hold back her waterworks. Her other hand moved instinctively to the top of her head to play with the brown curls that were pushed up into a neat bun.

'Wanna know what I do to keep from crying?' he asked softly and continued when she nodded her head. 'I call somebody and they come and help me. Do you know who I call?'

She shook her head 'no' and looked at him, waiting for an answer.

'I call.. The tickle monster!' his hands went to her waist and he let his fingers go to work. She burst out giggling and squirming and trying to kick her little feet at him.

'Nooo! No tickle monster!' she squealed loudly enough to grab the attention of people passing by.

Once he was sure she wouldn't cry, he stopped and grinned down at her. 'My name is Fitz. What's your name?'

She cleared her throat a little, a habit she had picked up from her mother, and held her hand out to him. 'My name is Juliet Gabrielle.' she said in a matter of fact tone that made Fitz want to snicker. He reached to shake her hand but she shook her head and took it back from him.

'You have to be a gentleman.' she stated firmly as she held her limp right hand out to him once more.

Fitz cocked an eyebrow but then smirked after he realized what it was that she wanted. 'My apologies. How rude of me.' he took her little hand in his and placed a kiss on her small fingers.

'Much better, Fizz.' she said as she stood up and dusted herself off. She was wearing a black jumpsuit with spaghetti straps. It was adorned with little gold hearts and matched with a pair of gold flats and a gold braided headband. She was definitely a little fashionista.

He chortled at the mispronunciation of his name then stood to his feet. 'Again, my apologies. It's very nice to meet you.'

'Charmed, I'm sure.' she said while almost smugly adjusting her headband.

Fitz studied her for a moment then smiled. Who in the world was teaching her all of this? She was like a little woman stuck in a girls body. He had only known her for the past 2 minutes but he could tell she was definitely a little character.

'Aren't you supposed to be in the PlayPen? I'm sure Mrs. Gretchen is worried sick about you.' he said, referring to the teacher in the center.

'I don't like it in there.' she muttered. 'The other kids play too rough.'

Fitz chuckled. He had been in there enough to know that the kids weren't too rough, she was just much too prissy to play with them. 'Well, I'm going to walk you back myself and tell them to change the game up to something more your speed. How's that sound?'

She sighed. 'Alright Fizz, but if my hair gets messed up mommy won't be very happy.' she held her hand up to him and looked at him expectingly.

Of course she needed to be escorted to their destination. He smirked and took her little hand and they started walking towards the daycare center. She walked with a little sway in her hips and her head help up high. She was so confident.

When Fitz opened the door of the daycare he saw the teacher, Gretchen, and all of her assistants frantically searching the room with the other kids confined to a small play area. They didn't want anybody else to go missing. Fitz cleared his throat loudly, catching Gretchen's attention.

She gasped when she saw her boss holding the little girl's hand. It really wasn't a good look for him to know that she had basically lost a child. She had been the teacher in the classroom for 5 years now and Fitz had hired her as soon as she graduated from college. It was a nice gig and she enjoyed the work and it paid fairly well. She was about 5'8 with a cute round face and blonde hair that came down to her shoulders.

Gretchen rushed over to the front door and smiled weakly, knowing she was going to get reprimanded for this one. 'Good afternoon, Mr. Grant.'

'Gretchen.' he nodded in acknowledgement. 'I found her out in the lobby a few minutes ago. I thought the doors had child proofed locks.'

'They do which is why we were all so surprised when we noticed her missing.' she sighed and looked down at the little girl, giving her a little smile. 'Why don't you go play in the arts and crafts center until your mommy gets here, ok?'

She sighed but nodded her head and looked up at Fitz. 'Bye, Fizz.' she let go of his hand then went to go sit down at the table.

Once she was out of earshot, Fitz turned his attention back to Gretchen. 'Is she new here? I've never seen her before.'

'Her mom had a visitor's pass when she walked in so I'm assuming that this is just a one day deal.' she wrung her hands a little nervously. 'Sir..'

He held his hand up to stop her. 'I think a verbal warning is enough for this. This weekend I want you to research a better locking system than the one in place now and please bring the prices on Monday. We can't have our children escaping.'

'Of course, sir. Please, enjoy your weekend.' she nodded, relieved she wouldn't be getting into too much trouble.

'You too.' he nodded then stole another glance at the little girl that had basically stolen his heart. She was sitting at the crafts table by herself, playing with a piece of pipe cleaner. He sighed before making his exit back out of the daycare center.

He shut the door behind him and leaned against it before running his fingers through his slicked back hair. All these years he had been looking for what was missing and a 3 year old showed him in 5 minutes. He needed a family. He needed people. No amount of money or fancy cars and houses could make up for that.

Fitz had met dozens and dozens of children before and he loved kids but none of them caught his attention like she did. He envied the lucky bastard that got to wake up every morning and see her little face and deal with the little diva tantrums that he was sure she threw.

He swallowed hard and mumbled. 'If there's a God in the sky, please show me the way.' his face turned a little red with embarrassment. Over the past few years he had been 'finding himself' and had been apart of over 30 different religions. He didn't know which one was real or if there was a god at all but he hoped somebody heard his prayer.

Pushing himself off the door, he remembered the reason he left the meeting in the first place was to get his things out of his office. He wanted to be able to leave as soon as his meeting was over and just enjoy his weekend. Fitz headed towards the elevators, shoulders hunched and hands in his pockets.

Using the special key code given to her via email, Olivia rode up to the 22nd floor and took a deep breath. It was a very big day and things seemed to really be looking up for her. She was only going to be in DC until Sunday but she could already tell she was really going to like this city.

She and her daughter, Gabby, had been out exploring all day long. It was nice to finally have some time off so that they could spend some quality time together. Well, she didn't really have the weekend 'off' considering she was about to go and beg some rich guy for money but she was still excited.

Once Olivia reached her destination, she got off of the elevator and went straight to Charlotte's desk, a bright smile plastered on her face. 'Good afternoon. My name is Olivia Pope and I have a meeting with Mr. Grant today.'

Charlotte bit down on her bottom lip. She had just received Fitz's text a few minutes ago and really didn't have time to call or compose an email to send to Olivia. Now she would have to break the news in person. 'It's very nice meeting you, Miss Pope, but Mr. Grant is a really busy man. He would like to reschedule for Monday.'

Olivia's smile immediately flipped. 'Monday? I can't do Monday.' she mumbled. Her boss was being extremely generous to give her Friday and Saturday night off, there was no way she could get Monday, too. Even if her boss said yes, she wouldn't be able to afford to stay in the city another day and change their flight around.

'Oh, you cant?' Charlotte raised an eyebrow. She definitely wasn't used to people telling her what they can or cant do when it comes down to Fitz's request. It was usually when do you want it done and how can I do it better.

She shot Charlotte a look. As much as she needed this investment, she refused to be belittled. 'No, I absolutely can not do Monday. I'll only need a moment of his time. Is there anyway I can see him for 5 minutes?'

'You can see him for 5 minutes on Monday is you'd life.' she crossed her arms.

Fitz had just gotten off of the elevator when he heard the conversation Olivia and Charlotte were having. By the tone of voice being used, he could tell that this must have been his 4:30 meeting that he cancelled last minute. He concealed himself around the corner and listened to their interaction

'Look.' Olivia sighed. 'I'm not trying to start anything but I really need to do this today.'

'You also need to get your attitude adjusted today.' Charlotte said. She could be a little snappy sometimes but it was nothing she wouldn't do or say to make sure that she did her job correctly.

'Wow.' Olivia placed her hands on her hips. 'If this is the way that Mr. Grant handles his business then I don't want any part of it, anyway. Good day.' she turned on her heels to leave. She wanted to seem tough but really tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. This made the trip a complete waste of time and money; things Olivia had none to spare.

Charlotte sighed with relief. She wasn't a mean person but she was extremely loyal to her work. She knew Fitz didn't have much interest in meeting with Olivia anyway so this was just one more thing she could take off his to do list. She made a mental note to send an Edible Arrangement to the address she had provided as a 'personal apology' from Fitz for his assistant's behavior.

Fitz frowned as he heard Olivia start walking towards the elevators. He knew Charlotte could be a little feisty at times but he really didn't know the severity of it until just then. He now felt pretty bad for his last minute cancellation especially since he heard her say she couldn't stay until Monday. He glanced down at his watch and realized that he needed to get back to his meeting soon but he wanted to speak with her first.

He rounded the corner to make his presence known but bumped into something. For the second time today, he fell down to the floor but luckily on his bottom this time. He looked up and swallowed hard. He must have had fallen a lot harder than what he thought because obviously he had died and gone to heaven.

Kneeling in front of him was a woman- no, angel. Maybe he was exaggerating a bit when the word 'angel' came to mind but he didn't have another word for her. She had beautiful brown eyes that had widened in obvious surprise of his fall and the sun light coming from the window seemed to attracted to her radiant cocoa colored skin. She held her hand out for him to take so that she could help him up. He took it and inhaled sharply. Her skin was so soft.

'Are you alright?' she asked with a soft smile that sent Fitz's heart flaming. She had a hint of a southern accent that he found even more endearing.

'I'm fine. I'm sorry I ran into you.' he muttered, now a tad nervous.

'It's okay.' she sighed and straightened her outfit out a little. This definitely wasn't the worst thing that had happened to her all day.

'You must be Miss Pope. My name is Fitzgerald Grant.' he extended his hand to her.

Her face flushed. Of course she had to knock a billionaire down today. It wasn't just enough to for her investment proposal to more or less get rejected. Honestly she had been expecting some crusty old white guy so seeing Fitz was a pleasant surprise. If nothing else, he was definitely a handsome man.

'My apologies, Mr. Grant. I really didn't mean to bump into you and-'

Fitz held his hand up to stop her from talking. 'Don't worry about it, Miss Pope. I've definitely fallen before and I've made it this far. A few more bumps and bruises won't kill me.' he grinned and she laughed softly. He snuck a glance down at her left hand and his smile grew when he realized there was no ring on her finger.

'So I overheard your conversation with my assistant and first of all, I'd like to apologize on her behalf. Charlotte can be a bit.. Over protective at times.' he gave her an apologetic look before shifting his weight to his right leg and sliding his hands in his pockets. He was afraid he'd touch her if he didn't.

'It's alright.' she nodded her head, her hands still gripping the briefcase in her hands.

'It's not,' his head shook. 'which is why I'm going to make you a deal. Since you can't make it Monday, why don't we discuss your proposal over dinner tonight?' he smiled hopefully.

'Dinner? Tonight?' she was surprised to say the least. She had promised Gabby that they would go and do something fun tonight but how could she give up this second chance? This was to better their future. 'That sounds great. I actually traveled with somebody else so would you mind if they tagged along?'

He studied her for a moment then nodded his head. If it was her boyfriend then this would be the perfect opportunity to size him up. Fitz wasn't afraid of a little challenge and was well prepared to fight for her if given the chance. As irrational as it seemed to want her only a few minutes after meeting her, he couldn't help it.

'That sounds great. I'll have Charlotte email you the address. How does-' he glanced down at his watch. 'Seven sound?'

She nodded her head. 'That sounds great. Thank you again, Mr. Grant.' she smiled up at him.

'I look forward to seeing you tonight, Miss Pope.' he smiled back and nodded his head.

He was going to step away so that she could walk past him but he had gotten caught up in looking in her eyes. They both stood there for a moment, staring at each other as if they had been blind but now they could see. Olivia was the first one that realized what they were doing and how inappropriate they were being so she cleared her throat, a habit she had passed on to her daughter.

'Tonight.' she nodded her head and started walking towards the elevators.

'Tonight.' he repeated and turned to watch her walk away. She walked with an extra sway in her hips and her head held up high. She seemed so confident.

The word "tonight" held so much promise as it rolled off his tongue. Of course he'd listen to her proposal and hear her out completely but he also wanted to impress her. He wanted to woo her. Fitz turned on his heels and headed towards his office, shooting Charlotte a 'We need to talk' look as he walked in.

* * *

Olivia went downstairs to pick Gabby up from the daycare center who was absolutely thrilled to see her mother. She held onto her daughter's hand tightly while they navigated through the busy city streets. 'Did you have fun playing with the other kids today, Gabby?'

'No.' she huffed. 'But I met a nice man today.'

'Oh really? What was his name?' she asked. After realizing that she was a little lost, she pulled her phone out to pull up the Maps app. As soon as she unlocked her device, she received an email notification from Charlotte.

'Fizz!' Gabby said with a smile.

'That's great, sweets.' Olivia nodded absentmindedly while walking them over to a bench. She was way too caught up in reading her email to even realize what Gabby had said. The message instructed her that reservations were made under the name 'Grant' for 7o'clock at a restaurant called Marcel's on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Olivia's face heated up as she glanced down at their outfits. They were both awfully underdressed for this type of occasion. Buying 2 new dresses today was definitely not in the budget but she really didn't have another choice. She really needed to impress Fitz. Plus, he was kinda cute. Well, he was really cute.

'Did you remember what mommy told you we were going to do today?' Olivia turned her attention to Gabby who was sitting on the bench next to her.

'Spa day!' she said excitedly while throwing her arms in the air.

Olivia gave her a sympathetic look. She really did hate to burst her bubble. 'Yes I know but mommy has a meeting tonight-'

'You're gunna leave me by myself?' Gabby's eyes began to water as if she would cry. Olivia could only smirk in her daughter's direction. She had to learn early on that Gabby was a bit of a drama queen and could easily produce a few tears if it meant getting her way.

'No. You're going to come with and-'

'Mommy, no!' she groaned in a high pitched tone that rang in Olivia's ears. 'It's gunna be boring.'

'Well, I'm going to let you play Candy Crush on my phone and guess what else?' she asked excitedly, trying to pump her up. 'We're getting new dresses!'

Gabby's eyes lit up and she squealed loudly and rose to her feet to hug Olivia's neck. 'New dressies! Let's go! Let's go!'

Olivia snickered and wrapped her arms around Gabby's waist and stood. 'Alright, but let mommy carry you. It's a lot of people walking around and I don't want you to get bumped into.'

Gabby huffed but complied, burying her face into Olivia's neck. Ever since she began to toddle around 10 months, she hated being carried. The act was beneath her and she much preferred to just walk around like her mother. She would cooperate this time though considering she had already been knocked down today.

'Thank you, sweets.' Olivia smiled as she began walking towards the closest department store and sighed with relief when she realized it was Macy's. She didn't have too much to spend but she knew they were having a sale this week so this would be perfect.

Much to Gabby's dismay, they skipped over the children's section and went to the women's department first. Olivia ignored her little hissy fit. It wasn't a secret how long it took her to find outfits and she really didn't want to run out of time. While Gabby was cute enough to get away with not having on the perfect dress, Olivia knew she was not above reproach.

And, honestly, she wanted to look nice for Fitz tonight. Maybe it was all in her head that he was checking her out but she was almost positive that she felt something there. Of course she wouldn't pursue it any further, she liked to keep her business and pleasure separate, but it was just something about the way he looked at her earlier that set her soul on fire.

The other thing that would probably keep them apart was the 3 year old clinging at her neck as she perused through the dress selection. The past few years with Gabby had been the happiest of her life and she felt so complete being a mother and taking care of the little one that taught her new things about herself everyday. Gabby was always her number one priority and that turned off a lot of men her age.

At 24, Olivia was young, beautiful, smart, successful, ambitious, and busy— and sometimes this was just too much for men to handle. She wouldn't conform to meet anybody's standards, though. Whoever she chose would have to be perfect for not only her, but also for Gabby.

'You can walk now Gabby but you have to stay close, ok?' Olivia muttered in her ear while slowly putting her down on the floor.

'Can I play the game on your phone?' she asked while dramatically stretching her legs, a sign to Olivia that she felt she had been carried too long.

'Yes, but you have to pay attention when I'm talking to you.' she pulled her iPhone out of her purse and handed it over, now keeping one eye on her and the other on the rack of dresses.

After choosing 10 dresses, they retreated to a dressing room where Gabby watched on with interest as Olivia tried on each and every outfit. She was always extremely vocal about the things she liked and disliked seeing her mother in and today was no different. After finally narrowing it down to 2 dresses, she held them both up.

'Alright, which one do you like more? The red or the blue?' Olivia asked, analyzing the dresses.

Gabby stood up from the seat she was in then ran her fingers over the blue dress. 'I like this one. But mommy this isn't blue. This is periwinkle.' she said matter of factly. 'Wanna know how I know that?'

'Please, enlighten me, sweets.' Olivia looked down at her in disbelief while putting the red dress back on the rack with the other rejects.

'Cause on Blue's Clues there's a cat named Periwinkle!'

Olivia smirked as they exited the dressing room. 'That's right, sweetie. You're the smartiest smart daughter in the world.' Gabby's wit and attention to detail never ceased to amaze Olivia. At the age of 3 she seemed to be well beyond her years.

'But cats have cooties so I don't like them.' her nose crinkled and Olivia couldn't help but smile. As smart as Gabby was, she was still just 3.

'You're a cootie cat.' Olivia said teasingly as she held on tightly to Gabby's hand as they walked to the children's section of the store.

Gabby gasped loudly and huffed, now stomping her feet as she walked. 'I'm not a cootie cat! I'm not!'

'I saw you meowing and drinking milk from a bowl a few weeks ago.' Olivia lied but said in such a convincing tone, Gabby had to think back and try to remember if she had actually done that.

She looked up to her mom and was about to protest until Olivia winked down at her, a sign that she was only joking. Gabby giggled. 'You're a silly mommy.'

'How silly?'

'The silliest mommy in the world!' she smiled and grasped both of her small hands on Olivia's and skipped towards their destination.

* * *

 **6:55**

Fitz came out of his office, grumbling. He had tried on a total of 10 suits and he was still unsure about which would be the perfect one for dinner tonight. As punishment for Charlotte's earlier behavior, she was forced to stay behind after work and help him find an outfit.

'How's this one?' Fitz asked as he gestured down to the light gray suit. It wasn't necessarily his favorite but he knew he wouldn't have time to go home and change so he had to work with what he had stowed away in the office.

'Sir is this strictly business or are you trying to impress Miss Pope?' Charlotte asked, not even looking up from her magazine. After working together for so long, she knew exactly how to push her bosses buttons and get answers out of him. She was probably one of the closest friends he had.

'Business.. Mostly. But if I can convince her to go out on a date with me after the meeting then that'd be great, too.' he said, adjusting his tie in the mirror on a decorative vanity.

'Okay.' she looked up and crinkled her nose. '1, That suit is not that great. I told you an hour ago suit 5 was perfect. 2, Miss Pope is like 22 and too young for you. You're going to look like a dirty old man. 3, What happens if you don't give her the money? You think she'd still want to date you if you don't invest with her?'

Fitz took a deep breath before speaking. 'Ok so 1, I'll change back into suit number 5. 2, If I remember correctly Aaliyah said, and I quote, 'Age aint nothing but a number', and 3, I haven't thought that far ahead. I'll have to cross that bridge if we get to it.'

'All I'm saying is that she might not like you very much if you choose somebody else over her.' she shrugged and turned her attention back down to her magazine.

Fitz sighed and shook his head and went back inside his office to go and change. By the time he came out, it was 7:10 but he hadn't even realized how late it had gotten. He stood in front of Charolette's desk and held his arms out. 'Good?'

'Ya.' she nodded and stood up and grabbed her purse so that they could leave. 'By the way, Casanova, it's 7:10. You're running a little late.'

He quickly looked down at his watch and his face flushed. 'Shit!' he started jogging towards the elevator.

'Wait!' Charlotte grabbed his arm to stop him. She reached up and took off his tie then dug through her purse to find his emergency Versace cologne that she kept on her. 'Your briefcase is in your car and Chad has already brought it around. The tie is way too formal. Got get em' tiger.'

'Got it!' he nodded furiously then rushed to the elevator.

Olivia shifted nervously in her seat and looked down at her watch, noting that Fitz was now 20 minutes late. She and Gabby had made it at exactly 7 and were seated promptly after telling the hostess she was meeting Fitzgerald Grant tonight. She smiled in satisfaction as she realized that she was turning heads as she passed by the other patrons.

She secretly found herself wondering what Fitz would think of her outfit choice. Of course the dress was gorgeous and she knew it looked great on her but it was just something about the way Fitz looked at her. They had been together for all of 5 minutes earlier that day but he made her feel like the only woman in the world.

Shaking her head, she chastised herself for having such thoughts about a man who probably didn't even want her. Plus, she was way too busy to be in any type of relationship right now. Not only that, why would some handsome billionaire even want her? He could probably have any woman in the world.

'Mommy, whens our meeting gunna to start?' Gabby asked while busily playing a Barbie fashion game and bringing Olivia out of her thoughts. Candy Crush was fun but nothing beat dressing people up in fancy clothes- or so Gabby thought.

'Soon, sweets.' she sighed and glanced down at the menu and rubbed her temples. Gabby had a laundry list of allergies and things she couldn't eat and Olivia could already tell that there was absolutely nothing on this menu that she could have tonight. She would have to find her something after they left. She just prayed Gabby could hold out that long.

'Is he gunna ask me questions, too?' she asked curiously.

'Maybe but I don't think so. If he does ask you questions, I want you to wear a big smile, ok? Can you do that for mommy?'

'I wear a smile all the time!' she said excitedly before showing her Olivia a huge grin with all of her little teeth on display.

Olivia snickered. 'Of course you do. Thank you darling.'

After another 10 minutes, Fitz arrived at the restaurant. He tossed his keys to the valet and quickly made his way inside the restaurant. Moving directly past the hostess, he went back to his regular table and sighed with relief when he realized she hadn't left yet. She had on a beautiful but plain blue dress that complimented her skin tone well and her loose curls were styled to fall right above her shoulders.

God, she was beautiful.

'I'm so sorry about my tardiness. My meeting ran a little later than what I thought.' he half lied. Of course he wouldn't let her know that he had been trying out outfits to impress her for God knows how long.

'It's absolutely no problem, Mr Grant.' Olivia stood from her seat and shook his hand. She avoided looking in his eyes too long. She really didn't want a repeat of earlier.

'Fizz!' Gabby squealed then jumped out of her chair to greet him. She had picked out a powder pink dress that flared out near the bottom forming a tutu. Her hair was still up in it's little bun but she now had a pink bow in her hair instead of the headband from earlier.

'Woah.' he swallowed hard at the sight of Gabby happily throwing her arms around his leg in a hug. He still wasn't convinced that God was real but obviously somebody had heard his prayer.

'Gabby, you know Mr. Grant?' Olivia cocked an eyebrow down at her daughter.

''Member mommy? I told you I met Fizz today.' she looked up at Fitz. 'Right, Fizz?'

'She's right.' Fitz smiled and nodded his head. 'We met today in the lobby and I bumped into her and I fell straight on my face. Like mother like daughter I suppose.' he chuckled.

Olivia's eyebrows furrowed as she wondered what Gabby was doing in the lobby when she was supposed to be at the daycare center. Deciding that was an issue for another time, she pushed the thought to the back of her head and touched Gabby's shoulder. 'Why don't we let Mr. Grant have a seat, ok?'

Gabby released Fitz's leg and nearly blew a gasket when she saw him sitting down at the table with them. 'You're sitting with us, Fizz?'

'I am.' he smiled and nodded his head. 'Is that ok with you?'

'Very ok.' she nodded happily then picked Olivia's phone back up and went back to playing her game.

'Have you all ordered yet?' Fitz asked while glancing down at the menu although he had a pretty good idea of what he wanted. He brought a lot of his business partners and clients here so, being a creature of habit, he usually got the same thing.

'No, sir. The waiter only stopped to bring the pitcher of water.' she was trying her best not to check him out but how could anybody resist this type of temptation? Adonis, if Olivia had to ever describe him.

'Great.' he looked up from his menu and almost smirked when he saw that she had been staring at him. After she sheepishly glanced back down at her menu, he caught the attention of a waiter.

'Hello and welcome to Marcel's, Mr. Grant. How may I serve you all tonight?'

'I'd like my regular.' Fitz requested then handed his menu over.

'And can I get the chicken caesar salad?' Olivia added after handing her menu over as well. While she was pretty sure business dinner etiquette dictated that Fitz paid, she wasn't completely positive. The salad was the cheapest thing on the menu so she decided to play it safe just in case she was expected to cover her own meal tonight.

Fitz wondered why she didn't order anything for Gabby but brushed it off, assuming that she would just eat off her mother's plate. 'So I don't mean to rush straight off into business but I do have a few questions for you. I have your proposal and resume in my briefcase but I'd like to hear directly from you. If that's ok.'

'I don't mind at all.' Olivia smiled and nodded her head before adjusting herself in her seat. This was her time to shine.

'Great. So, first of all, tell me a little bit more about your product.'

'Well, I started All That Juice 2 years ago with $20 in my pocket. Every single drink that we sell is 100% organic and everything used is grown here in the US except for 2 juices in particular. We have 2 lines, the adult line and the children's line that we affectionately called Jamba Jingle Jungle Juice.'

'And why is the children's line named that?'

'Because each flavor references a different animal from the jungle.' she reached down into her purse on the floor and grabbed a list of flavors to have handy just in case he asked for them. 'And theres a small song on the back of each bottle- which references the jingle part of the name.'

The questions so far were extremely easy. What was difficult was looking him in the eyes. She didn't know if he was doing it on purpose but his steel blue pupils were nearly piercing through her soul. He lightly licked his lips and Olivia could feel a shiver run down her spine.

Maybe she needed to find some little old lady to invest in her instead because she didn't imagine them getting much work done together if she couldn't stop staring at him.

'So I'm looking for somebody that's passionate and committed to their project. Somebody that will work hard everyday to make their business better. What inspired you to start your business and what motivates you to keep going?' Fitz leaned into the table. Although it was an interview question that he had asked all of the candidates, he was genuinely curious to know her answer.

'Well,' Olivia cleared her throat, trying to compose her words. 'In short, it's my daughter. When Gabby was born, she had a few health problems. She has a lot of food allergies and I was at my wit's end trying to feed her. Sometimes we would be out and about but I wouldn't be able to get her anything to eat if the options just weren't there. I started making homemade juices for her then all of a sudden, other people started requesting me to sell them for their kids. It kicked off from there.' she shrugged.

'And I'm passionate about this because I know that, just like Gabby, there are other people who don't have the luxury of just going out and eating whatever they want. All That Juice is portable and works as a meal replacement for people on the go.'

Fitz couldn't help but smile at her explanation. 'Do you have any samples with you?'

'As a matter of fact, yes I do.' she nodded her head and reached down into her purse and pulled out 2 bottles. 'The one on the left is a banana mix and on the right is a strawberry mango blend. They're our 2 favorites on the adult line' she handed them both over to Fitz.

'Shouldn't these have to stay refrigerated?' he asked curiously while studying the designs on the bottle.

'I have a patent for the bottle which keeps the contents inside fresh. They can survive out of the refrigerator for approximately 10 hours.' she beamed proudly. The patented design was created by her close friend, Huck.

Before Fitz could ask another question, the waiter came around to the table with their plates of food. With a warm smile, he served them both their meals and left.

Gabby had been quietly playing with Olivia's phone but the sight of food reminded her that she was a little hungry. Well, she wasn't exactly hungry but watching other people eat without having her own food made her a little jealous. She frowned when she saw her mother and Fitz digging into their meals then dramatically held on to her stomach.

'Mommy.' she said pitifully. 'Can I eat something, too?'

Olivia sighed. She had a feeling this was going to happen. She leaned down and spoke lowly so that Fitz couldn't hear what they were saying 'Soon, sweets. Can you be a little patient for mommy?'

'Okay.' she pouted and turned her attention back to the cellphone.

'Is there something wrong?' Fitz asked, noting their little exchange with his head cocked.

'No.' Olivia shook her head. 'Gabby likes to eat like a big girl when she sees other people with food but there's nothing on menu for her here.'

'Because of her allergies?' Fitz asked with his eyebrows furrowed as he realized the important role the juice was to them.

'Yes.' she nodded her head. 'A situation like this really shows the importance of the children's juice line. Unfortunately, she was being a little sneaky this morning at drank the one I had in my purse.' she gave Gabby a pointed look.

'I'm so sorry, Miss Pope. I wouldn't have suggested-'

'Mr. Grant.' she stopped him. 'It's fine, really. Now, what was your next question?' she asked after readjusting herself in her seat so that she could sit up straight.

'Well, where can she eat? We can go somewhere else.' Fitz said while removing the napkin from his lap and reaching for his wallet in his pocket.

'Mommy found a pizza place.' Gabby said, the thought of leaving the restaurant now exciting her. 'It's organic vegan.'

Gabby wasn't exactly sure what the terms 'organic' or 'vegan' meant but she knew it was usually safe for her to eat it if it was presented before her. Olivia had promised to take her to try it before they got stuck in the meeting tonight with Fitz.

'That's really not necessary.' Olivia tried to reason but Fitz only shook his head.

'It wont be a problem.' he pulled a crisp $100 bill out and put it in the middle of the table then stood up. 'Now, where is this vegan pizza place?'

Olivia gave him a look of wonder. She really couldn't believe that her 3 year old had managed to hijack her meeting but here they were. She found it pretty admirable that he was willing to accommodate Gabby and leave this 5 star restaurant.

'When I pulled it up on my phone earlier it said that it was on the Orange Line in..' she hesitated for a moment. 'Near Farragut West.' she stood up from her seat and grabbed Gabby's hand, helping her down from her chair.

'Hm, I don't think I know of any vegan restaurants there.' he said while ushering them out of the restaurant. He had been in DC for the better part of his life and knew the city like the back of his hand. While Fitz wasn't too fond of taking the Metro he didn't know if Olivia would feel being alone in a car with him especially since Gabby didn't have a car seat.

'It's not in Farragut West. It's near Farragut West.' she clarified. Olivia handed him her phone so that he could see the address while they waited to cross the street to get on the Metro.

Fitz took the phone and studied the address then a smile came over on his face as he realized exactly where it was. 'I've seen this place before. It's in-'

Olivia coughed loudly, cutting his sentence off as the light lit up that they could walk. Fitz placed his hand on her upper back and slightly frowned. 'Are you alright?'

Her whole body shivered from the contact. 'Yes. I'm fine.' she nodded her head.

He definitely was going to have to stop doing that.

They made it underground and caught the train right as it was pulling into the station. There were 2 seats open so they took them and Gabby sat in Olivia's lap. The train ride was going to be pretty long so they made small talk.

'Where is this place, Fizz?' Gabby whined after 10 minutes. She was getting pretty restless and was starting to squirm around.

Fitz smiled over at her and spoke before Olivia could interrupt him. 'It's on a train stop called Foggybottom.'

Gabby studied him for a few seconds then burst into laughter as if that was the funniest thing she had ever heard in her life. She began squirming and kicking her legs and holding her stomach. 'Foggybottom!? That's funny!'

A few of the other passengers around them noticed their exchange and couldn't help but chuckle. Olivia smirked and shook her head. Of course her 3 year old found that absolutely hilarious. She noticed that the bottom of Gabby's feet were being pressed against Fitz's thigh so she grabbed her legs.

'Sorry, Mr. Grant. She gets a little excited when she thinks something is funny.'

Fitz smiled warmly at her. Being out with them had been the most refreshing experience he had in a while. 'No harm done.' he reassured.

Olivia smiled back and it seemed that, once again, they were staring at each other. Her lip quivered slightly as the two of them entered into their own little world. The only thing that brought them out of their trance was Gabby.

'Mommy.' she poked Olivia's stomach to get her attention. 'Can I stand up and ride like the big people?' she gestured over to the passengers holding on to poles.

'Not this time, Gabby. You may fall and that would make mommy cry.' she poked her bottom lip out and gave her daughter a pitiful look.

'But, I'm a big girl.' she whined.

'I can hold her hand.' Fitz said softly, searching for permission from Olivia before standing from his seat.

Olivia studied him for a moment then sighed but smiled and nodded her head. She helped Gabby stand to her feet so that she could balance. With a huge grin plastered on her face, she grabbed hold of Fitz's hand and stood firmly.

It took a few moments for Gabby to gain her footing but she soon got the hang of it. With her right hand she squeezed down on Fitz's fingers and with her left she took hold of the support pole. 'Look at me, mommy! I'm standing on the train!'

'I see, sweets!' she grinned widely, letting her facial expression match her daughters. She mouthed a silent 'Thank you' to Fitz before sitting back in her seat.

Fitz shook his head as a 'No problem' before turning his attention to the Metro map plastered on the wall. If somebody had suggested to him a few months ago that he would actually enjoy a night like this he would've called them crazy but this was extremely pleasant. Actually, it was more than pleasant.

The train conductor announced when they arrived in Foggybottom and the trio exited the car. The restaurant was only a 2 minute walk from the train stop but it served as enough time for Gabby to explain to them 30 times how hungry she was.

'Marlo's Pizzaria' was a small hole in the wall that was settled underneath a bigger Italian restaurant. After a few failed attempts at finding it, they finally made their way inside. Lucky for them, there wasn't much of a crowd and they were immediately seated at a round table beside a little karaoke machine.

Olivia helped Gabby into her chair then picked up a menu. This part was always the worst part of going out. She had to analyze every single ingredient listed under everything her daughter would like then choose something.

Fitz watched her as her eyebrows furrowed cutely and she analyzed the dingy sheets of paper. He found himself wondering if she had a boyfriend or somebody waiting for her and Gabby at home. Regardless, he was going to ask her out after they got done here. He glanced down at his own menu, fighting the smile on his face.

'Sweets, you in the mood for cheese pizza?'

'Yes!' she answered excitedly before looking over to Fitz. 'What are you in the mood for, Fizz?'

Fitz chuckled softly. 'I think the cheese pizza sounds great. Why don't I just get us a large and we can all share it?'

'Sounds fine to me.' Olivia smiled and nodded her head.

After ordering their food and occupying Gabby with a cellphone game, Fitz and Olivia's conversation flowed smoothly. It started off about the investment and work but quickly shifted to music and sports and anything else that came up.

'You've got to be kidding me!' Olivia was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her eyes. She used a hand to cover her mouth and the other to hold onto her stomach. Fitz was telling her a story about his attempt of ice skating in New York last Christmas and how he fell straight on his butt.

'Hey, hey!' he feigned offense. 'It's not that funny. I actually hurt myself. My bottom was aching for the next 2 weeks!' he chuckled softly but wished she hadn't covered her face. Her beautiful face. Maybe he was looking at it through rose colored glasses but she had the most beautiful laugh in the world.

'I'm sorry! I just can't believe that you had the gaul to have so much confidence even though you had never skated before in your life.' she wiped a tear from her eye then fanned her face.

Gabby was only half listening to their conversation. She was completely stuffed with pizza and was now ready to get down and do other things. Out of the corner of her eye she had spotted a few arcade games. She lightly touched Olivia's hand to get her attention.

'Mommy.' she said softly. 'Can I go play with the toys?'

Olivia looked over, ensuring that she'd be able to see her, then nodded her head. 'Be careful, sweets.'

'Yes mommy!' she squealed then hopped down from her seat and went running towards the games.

'Now, back to your Christmas adventure.' she smirked and turned her attention back to Fitz who pretended to be mortified. 'Didnt you go with somebody who told you that that wasn't a good idea? Skating isn't for everybody.'

'It may not be for everybody but its definitely for me.' he defended. 'But I haven't been back since then so I may be just a little rusty.' he grinned.

'I could only imagine, Mr. Grant.' she smirked and shook her head and sipped on her glass of water.

'Please, call me Fitz.' he softly insisted as he watched her push a strand of hair away from her face.

Yep, he's definitely flirting with me.

'That would be inappropriate.' she said with a coy smile, returning his flirtatious banter. She didn't think they could ever have a relationship together but a little flirting couldn't be that bad.

'Well, then lets be inappropriate.' he mumbled, now slightly leaning across the table towards her.

Olivia bit down on her bottom lip but leaned in, meeting him almost halfway. 'Well, then you should call me Olivia.'

'Olivia.' he mumbled, letting the syllables run like water out of his mouth. If she came any closer he was going to kiss her. Point, blank, period.

'Fitz.' she returned, her bottom lip slightly quivering as she leaned closer to him.

Just before he could take her lips, the sound of little feet running back towards the table brought them both out of their moment. They quickly broke apart as Gabby hopped back in her seat, showing off all the tickets she had earned from some game in the corner.

'I gots a jillion of them!' she declared as she put about 30 down on the table in front of them.

Fitz chuckled and Olivia shot her a sweet smile and shook her head. 'You did a good job, sweets. Why don't we pick you out a prize and get going? It's getting to be past somebody's bedtime.'

'Who?' she asked with her head cocked cutely to the side. She definitely wasn't going to admit that it was time for her to go to sleep. 'It's not my bedtime mommy.'

'It's almost mine.' Fitz said with an over exaggerated yawn and stretch of his arms. 'If I don't go to bed soon, I may not want to wake up in the morning.'

'Mommy says she has to get plenty of sleeps so she can wake up and be pretty in the morning. She said its beauty sleep. Do you need beauty sleep too, Fizz?' Gabby asked curiously.

'I definitely do.' he said as if it was obvious and he made an ugly face at her to emphasize his point and make Gabby giggle. He turned his attention to Olivia and his voice lowered to a smooth baritone and he lightly licked his lips. 'But mommy doesn't need any extra beauty sleep. She's already beautiful.'

Olivia's face flustered and she lowered her head so she could look at her knees. This man. Their moment clearly went over Gabby's head who had now jumped up from her seat and grabbing at her hands. 'Let's go get a prize!'

With a small smile, she stood to her feet and the three of them walked over to the tiny prize bar in the corner of the room. Olivia prayed that Gabby had enough tickets to get whatever she wanted because if not, she was going to have a fit about it. Just as she suspected, though, her little girl had her eyes on a stuffed bear that cost 1,000 tickets.

'That one!' she declared, pointing to the plush animal.

'Sweets, you don't have enough tickets for that one..' Olivia explained, her tone apologetic.

Gabby's whole demeanor changed at hearing that and her bottom lip poked out pitifully. While Olivia prayed that she could hold it together, she knew that her little drama queen was about to have a meltdown. Wanting to avoid a scene, she gave the man behind the counter an almost desperate look.

'Sorry.' the teenager shrugged, barely looking up from his cellphone. 'You have to win it. I don't accept money.'

Before Olivia could speak again, Fitz lightly touched her arm. 'I'm sure it wont be too hard to win it. Just playing a few kid games wont be so difficult.'

'You want to stick around and play kid games until we come up with 1,000 tickets?' she raised her eyebrows, a small smirk now playing on her lips.

'I'm up for the challenge.' his shoulders shrugged. 'I'll have you know that I was the skee ball champion back in high school.' he said matter of factly before leading them back towards where the arcade games were settled.

'Oh really? Not good enough to make it on the football team?' she teased.

'Ha! They would've been lucky to have me.' he said as he pulled up a chair up to the skee ball machine and gestured for them to sit down.

Olivia sucked her teeth before having a seat in the chair and letting Gabby settle down into her lap. They watched on as Fitz pressed the button and grabbed the first ball. She wanted to laugh at the look of concentration on his face but she held it in. Fitz could only pray that he remembered how to play the little game.

No more than 30 minutes later, and now way passed bedtime, the three of them were walking out the restaurant smiling and laughing with a teddy bear of Gabby's choice clutched in her little hands. She was getting a little sleepy so she wasn't as talkative as earlier which left Olivia and Fitz to have their own conversation.

If she had to be completely honest, she had forgotten the whole reason they even came out tonight. She was having such a great time with him she hadn't even thought about the investment. Olivia never really allowed herself to have fun and just live in the moment so this was extremely refreshing. In the back of her head she knew that she probably shouldn't be pursuing anything with Fitz but it was nice to pretend even if just for the night.

Their hotel wasn't too far from the restaurant so they decided to walk the rest of the way. Fitz insisted on tagging along to make sure they arrived safely and he used his phone to request a car service to take him back to the restaurant where they left his car.

'So other than making juice and playing supermom, what do you do?' he asked curiously.

'I'm a singer. I work at a nightclub in the evenings and I run the business during the day.'

'You're telling me we were sitting beside a karaoke machine all night and you never once mentioned you could sing?' his eyebrows raised. 'I'm extremely hurt.'

Olivia laughed. 'Don't be. It's not something that I mention often. But, it pays the bills and I like doing it.'

'Well, maybe one day you'll feel compelled to share your gift and allow me to hear it.' he said, this tone full of hope.

She smiled softly but nodded her head. 'Maybe someday.'

After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at the hotel and his car was already outside and waiting on him. Fitz didn't think he could bare saying goodbye but he knew he needed to. Now he had the extremely tough decision between choosing between either her or Jake and he knew he needed to be fair. He couldn't allow his attraction to Olivia to cloud his judgement so he definitely didn't need to get any closer to her.

They shook hands for a moment and then, against both of their better judgements, they took a step closer to one another. Olivia's lips parted slightly, sending him a small invitation to kiss her and he leaned in to meet her halfway. He was trying to be careful but how in the world was he expected to stop himself when she was practically asking for it?

Before their lips could touch, Gabby began screaming and crying loudly and stomping her feet around. Olivia quickly let go of Fitz and shook her head before picking her little girl up in her arms. They were still in the temper tantrum stage and her fatigue was causing her to act out. She shot Fitz an apologetic smile while gently rocking Gabby in her embrace.

'She's had a long day. I think it's somebodies bedtime.' she said softly as Gabby settled down.

'It has.' he agreed, rubbing the back of his head. He wanted nothing more than to taste her lips but he knew that that wouldn't be happening tonight. Fitz smiled and lightly touched Gabby's back to grab her attention.

'Bye, Gabby. It was nice spending time with you today.'

Gabby huffed and hid her face away in her mother's neck. Olivia rolled her eyes but decided to let the behavior slide tonight since it was way past her normal bedtime.

'Don't take it personally. She had a great time today but she just doesn't feel like saying it. I'm sure that tomorrow she won't be able to stop talking about you.'

His face brightened at the thought of having Gabby gush over him all day and he hoped he'd be on Olivia's mind as well. 'I'm glad you guys could enjoy the city tonight.' his head nodded. He wanted to find a reason for them to just stay and talk but he knew his time was running out. Fitz sighed and took a step away from them, creating space. 'Goodnight, Olivia.'

'Goodnight, Fitz.' she smiled and nodded in his direction. As soon as he started to walk away she started to regret just letting him go. She wasn't sure where they could take their personal relationship if they went into business together but she knew she'd regret this for the rest of her life if she didn't at least try. 'Fitz, wait!' she called out to him.

Fitz turned on his heels, his ears now perked as he heard his name being shouted. 'Yes?'

She blushed. Obviously she hadn't thought her plan all the way through because now she had no idea what to say. 'I.. I want to see you again.' she said honestly.

He grinned from ear to ear. It looked like somebody had just put a coat hanger in his mouth and left it there. He couldn't help himself. 'I want to see you again, too.'

'You should um..' she mumbled softly, still trying to find the words. 'You should text me or something.' Olivia said, trying her best to shrug nonchalantly.

* * *

 **1 Year Later**

It had been a little over one year since the two of them laid eyes on each other and it had been absolutely amazing since then. With the help of the small business loan, Olivia's company had skyrocketed in the market and was finally getting the attention it deserved. It was selling so much so she could barely keep it in stock on her online site and her vendors were constantly wanting more and more. She had been able to quit her job at the night club that she sang at although she still went in occasionally. Singing was her true passion and she wouldn't be able to give it up for the world.

One thing that hadn't made any progress, though, was their personal relationship.

After Fitz took both Jake and Olivia's proposals to his business team she was voted as the popular choice. They liked that she was young and passionate about her cause while Jake seemed to just be in it for the money. In Fitz's eyes this was great news because this meant she'd constantly be around but he was clearly mistaken.

Once she accepted the deal she changed. Not necessarily in a bad way. She was just different. He no longer had the chance to see the Olivia that laughed so hard that she cried or the Olivia who had came so close to kissing him multiple times in one night. This Olivia was focused, business centered, and refused to give him the time of day. She apologized for being so distant, though, citing that it wouldn't be very professional for them to start a romantic relationship under those circumstances.

But circumstances be damned in Fitz's eyes. He still wanted Olivia Pope just as much and he was just waiting on her to realized that she wanted him to. He would sometimes catch her staring at him during a meeting or checking him out if they happened to pass each other in the hall but he tried not to acknowledge it. He knew he couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do but it was getting harder and harder.

Olivia still lived out of state but would come to DC every other weekend and his favorite visits was when he brought Gabby along with her. Her charm and bubbly personality made him melt every time he saw her and he hated that he didn't get a chance to play a more serious role in her or Olivia's life.

One year later and all Fitz knew was that he was completely in love with Olivia Pope and his feelings weren't going away. It wasn't that he hadn't tried to stop feeling this way. Right after she rejected him he tried dating other people, he tried new hobbies, he even tried working more; but none of that helped when it came down to keeping his mind off of her.

Today she was coming in town to meet up with a representative from Walmart and Target so that they could negotiate selling her juice in their stores. She had been very excited about the opportunity for months and now that the day was finally here she almost found herself giddy. She didn't have a full office space in DC so Fitz was going to allow her the use of his conference room downstairs.

While he wasn't really showing it he was just as excited for her. Anytime she succeeded he felt like a proud boyfriend even though he knew he wasn't. 5 o'clock was nearing and he was just about to head home when there was a knock on his office door.

'Come in.' he called out as he loosened his tie.

A moment later Olivia came in and she looked to be out of breath. She was wearing a simple gray business suit and had her suitcase in tow which meant she was obviously just getting off of her flight. She gave him a slightly apologetic smile before shutting the door behind her.

'Livvie.' he smiled widely at the sight of her. 'What a pleasant surprise. I figured you'd be setting up for your meeting downstairs.'

'I was supposed to be but traffic was terrible and I'm running incredibly late. Do you mind if I leave my luggage in your office until this meeting is over?' she asked, gesturing over to an empty corner.

'I don't mind at all, Olivia.' he sat back down in his seat and watched as she rolled it out of the way.

'I thought we agreed that we'd go to Mr. Grant and Ms. Pope.' she tried to correct him although she knew it was of no use. If nothing else Fitzgerald Grant was a very persistent man.

'Sorry. Force of habit.' he shrugged playfully.

Olivia snorted and shook her head. 'You're ridiculous.'

'And you're late.' he countered as he checked his watch. 'You may not want to keep them waiting.'

She scoffed and straightened out her outfit. 'They'd be lucky to have me.'

'You're right. They would.' he confirmed with a head nod.

Her breath hitched in the back of her throat and she blushed. There was that charm of his again showing its head. 'I'll lock up your office once I'm finished.' she promised, choosing to ignore his comment. Before he could respond she turned on her heels and walked straight out of the office.

Fitz smiled and sat back down in his seat. He was going to go home at first but now he wanted to stay and wait for her until her meeting was over. He knew she had to come back up to his office to get her things so this would be the perfect opportunity to talk. He opened his laptop and pulled up a work document to keep himself busy until she returned.

Tonight was going to be the night. He could just feel it.

After a long 2 hours of waiting Fitz finally heard the elevator doors ding outside of his office. He perked up and turned his computer off so that he could give her his undivided attention. He had been feeling fairly confident all night long but now that she was actually in the proximity of the office he was a little nervous again. He actually didn't have a clue what he'd say to her but he decided it would probably be best to wing it anyway.

Olivia opened the door and sighed. She had her shoes in her hands so that she could rest her tired feet and her jacket was thrown over her shoulder. When she looked up and saw Fitz at his desk she nearly yelped with surprise.

'I'm sorry, Mr. Grant. I had no clue you'd still be in here. I would have knocked first.' she said, trying her best to keep things professional although he didn't make it easy. Fridays had been dubbed 'casual' for the past few months but he still dressed professionally and seeing Fitz in his tailor made suit was a turn on. She scolded herself for thinking about him that way but she couldn't help it.

'It was supposed to be a surprise.' he smirked and stood up from his seat. He had already gotten rid of his tie and undid a few of the buttons on his shirt, revealing some light brown chest hair that worked to drive Olivia wild.

'Good news or bad news?' he asked, making his way over to his mini bar on one side of his office.

Olivia had gotten so caught up in watching him she had barely heard what he said. 'Excuse me?'

Fitz chuckled. 'Was it good news or bad news? Good news means champagne to celebrate. Bad news means tequila to forget.' he explained, holding up a bottle of each.

'Oh.' she giggled softly as she tried her best to clear her head. 'Good news. Great news actually. You were right about meeting with them at the same time. They kept trying to outbid one another and I ended up on top at the end.'

He grinned. 'I told you.' Fitz gloated as he started pouring up the champagne.

Against Olivia's better judgement she decided to stay and have a drink with him. A few little sips couldn't do any harm and she wanted to be around him anyway. She always wanted to be around him even though she'd never admit it out loud. 'Of course you have all the answers. You've been in corporate America for how many years now? 66?' she teased as she took a seat in one of the chairs across from his desk.

Fitz nearly snorted at her mean little joke. While she was mostly straight forward and business like every now and again she showed him a little piece of her real personality. The piece that he had slowly fallen in love with and the piece that endlessly teased him about how old he was getting. 'You wound me.'

'Truth hurts.' she shrugged casually before taking her phone out to send a quick message.

He walked over to where she was sitting and gave her her glass then held his up in the air. 'To wisdom, old age, and great deals.'

'Here, here.' Olivia affirmed before they clinked their glasses together and she took a few sips of her drink.

'So how's my other favorite girl?' Fitz asked as he leaned against his desk.

Olivia smirked and shook her head. 'Other favorite girl? I'm not sure who you're referring to.'

'Well, I have 2.' he explained casually. 'You and Gabby. So since you're here now, I want hear about her.'

'You have a very bad habit of flirting with me, Mr. Grant.' she tried to scold although it wasn't having the affect she wanted since she was blushing. 'Gabby is fine. She just started ballet up again but I don't think she'll stick with it. The teacher is kind of a jerk.'

Fitz grunted lowly. He couldn't imagine anybody being rude to Olivia or Gabby and the fact that he couldn't do anything about it upset him. He willed himself to calm down so that they could continue their conversation. 'That sucks. I'm sure she looks really good in her outfit, though.'

'She does.' Olivia nodded and turned her phone around to show him a picture and his heart nearly melted.

'Wow, Livvie.' he mumbled softly.

'Ms. Pope.' she corrected in turn.

'Liv, we're so far past this.' he sighed before knocking back the rest of his drink. 'You insisting that we call each other Mr and Ms is just your tactic to try and drive me away. I'm not going away.'

'Fitz you already are away.' her eyes rolled. 'We're business partners now and it needs to stay that way. I'm trying to make sure that things stay professional between us.'

'What are you so scared of, Olivia?' he questioned curiously. 'You knew that night that it was a possibility that we'd be going into business together and yet we both participated in some less than professional behavior.'

Olivia blushed as she thought back to that night. She had been trying to push the memory out of her head in general but he was making it really hard for her. All she could ever think about was how good he smelled or the way he almost kissed her or how he stayed late to win Gabby the bear she wanted.

'I don't like mixing my business venture with my personal life. My company is very important to me and I don't want to risk it because we couldn't keep it together.' she said, trying her best to hold her resolve.

'Okay, well can I ask you something?' he asked, now holding his chin. 'And I want the honest truth.'

She hesitated for a moment but then nodded her head before taking another sip of her drink. 'Go ahead.'

'If we weren't working together would you give me a chance? After the night we shared in the city, would I have gotten a date? A real date?' he studied her closely, watching her body language.

'Wow.' she took a deep breath. She wasn't expecting him to ask that although she already knew the answer. 'Honestly, Fitz, I don't think I can say for sure.'

He groaned. 'Olivia yes you can. Just tell me. You're killing me, here.' Fitz pleaded.

'Alright, alright.' she soothed softly. 'I guess the answer is yes. I most likely would've agreed to go out on a date with you.'

Fitz smiled but it wasn't his normal lopsided grin. It didn't reach the corners like it normally did. He couldn't help himself as thoughts of what could've been started running through his head. It had been a whole year and all he could imagine was all of them living together in his penthouse apartment. They wouldn't need much backyard space because Gabby was such a prissy little thing he could imagine she didn't like playing outside much. Together they would be a great team. He just knew it. He could feel it.

His facial expression wasn't lost on Olivia. 'Fitz what are you thinking about?' she asked, cocking her head slightly to the side.

'I just..' he sighed and put his drink down on the desk before kneeling before her. Olivia raised her eyebrows, clearly questioning his actions but she let it go and watched him. He took hold of both of her hands and she allowed him. 'Olivia I love you. I'm in love with you. You're the love of my life.'

'Fitz—' she started, wanting to stop him before he went any further. She didn't want to open up on any of her own feelings tonight. She knew if they did this she'd lose all resolve on their situation.

'Just listen to me for a second.' he continued. 'For the past year we've been working together and I've been forced to push my feelings for you away and I'm tired of it. I love everything about you. I love the way you smile when something goes right, I love the way your nose scrunches up when something goes wrong, and I even love that little corny victory dance you do when you think nobody is watching.' Fitz brought one of her hands up to his mouth and kissed her fingers, pleasantly surprised when she didn't pull away.

'Olivia I want a chance. We're worth a chance. I demand a chance to be the man I'm supposed to be with you and with Gabby.' he looked up at her and noticed that her bottom lip was trembling, a sure sign that she may cry. 'What I've learned in this past year is that the man I was before I met you was nothing. I am nothing and you are everything and I need you to know that.'

He decided to stop talking long enough so that she could get her thoughts together. The combination of his words and the alcohol was causing tears to form in her eyes and she was trying her best to hold it together. She had been fighting her feelings for him all this time but hearing him lay it all down in front of her this way was making her emotional. She knew that there was obviously some chemistry between them but she never knew he felt this strongly about them. She opened her mouth to say something but only a small noise came out. She had no idea what to say.

'Olivia, say something please.' he asked softly, leaning in further to her. Her silence was killing him.

Olivia pulled both of her hands out of his grasp and quickly took hold of his face instead and brought her lips crashing down to his. Fitz found himself caught off guard by her sudden motion and it took him a moment to actually start kissing her back. He was expecting flat out rejection but this was much better. As soon as her tongue slid inside of his mouth he nearly melted. He had been waiting all this time to finally taste her and he knew he wouldn't be able to get enough after tonight.

She pulled away to catch her breath and pressed her forehead to his, her eyes still closed and her hands still resting on his cheeks. 'I love you. I'm in love with you.' she admitted through baited breath.

Fitz rested his hands on top of hers. 'So we're in this together?'

'We're in this together.' she finally opened her eyes then nodded her head.

He smiled softly. This was the start of something new.

* * *

'Mommy when will Fizz get here?' Gabby asked for what seemed like the 400th time in the past hour.

'He's not coming today, sweets. I told you that.' she sighed continued to drive to the park, not even bothering to glance back at her to know that she was pouting.

Today was Gabby's birthday and they were all going to go to the park where Olivia had put together a small party. Fitz was supposed to be there but he got called off on urgent 'business' at the last minute and needless to say Olivia was pissed about it.

In the past 7 months they had been trying their best to make it work. They were doing the long distance relationship deal and while most of the time it worked it was days like these that she wanted to strangle him. They hadn't seen each other in person in 3 weeks and she was getting antsy. She was restless and horny and she missed him and yet he was be gone again. She was trying not to act like some spoiled little girlfriend who couldn't control herself while her boyfriend worked but she was getting sick if it.

Not only that, he had recently gotten a new secretary because Charlotte wanted to go back to school and Olivia absolutely despised the woman. It was obvious that she was flirting with Fitz but he was way too blind to even notice. Last week when she called his personal cellphone Daisy answered it and she nearly blew a gasket. She had half a mind to fly to DC herself that day so that she could tell him off in person but she refrained.

He had apologized and swore that nothing was going on between them and while Olivia believed him, it didn't make her feel any better. Their distance and busy schedule made her feel extremely insecure and it didn't help that he was now breaking promises to come see them after they had already been apart so many weeks. She had been feeling very sulky and sad all week and it didn't help that she had also been bloated.

But, she put on a bright smile for the party. She wanted to make everything perfect for Gabby despite the fact that Fitz wouldn't be there.

Once they made it to the park they went straight back to the table that Olivia had rented and she said a silent prayer of thanks for the fact that her friends Abbey, Huck, and Quinn had already been there to set everything up. They knew she had been having a tough week and they were ready to assist whenever needed.

No more than 10 minutes later other party guests started arriving with their children. Huck worked on putting all the gifts in one pile while Abbey and Quinn painted faces. When it was time to cut the cake Olivia put candles in it and stood Gabby up on top of the bench and she stood behind her, holding onto her waist tightly as the crowd sung 'Happy Birthday' to her.

Right as Gabby was about to blow out the candles Olivia felt a pair of strong arms around her waist. Her immediate response was to flinch and try and get away but these arms felt very familiar. She let go of Gabby long enough to turn around and her jaw dropped when she realized it was Fitz.

'Fizz!' Gabby hollered, now completely ignoring the candles on her cake and hopping down to give him a hug.

'Gabby!' he exclaimed back, matching her tone. He leaned down to pick her up into his arms and hugged her tightly. 'Happy birthday, princess!'

'I'm so glad you came! Mommy said you weren't gunna come but you never break promises, right?' she inquired, smacking her hands on both side of his cheeks and pushing his face together. It was her favorite thing to do when she saw him. She though seeing his skin smushed up was hilarious.

'That's right.' he said, struggling to move his lips but nodded his head. 'I won't break a promise to you.'

Olivia was still standing there with her mouth agape, trying to accept the fact that Fitz was standing right there in front of her. When they spoke last night he said he'd be on a flight to Dubai so seeing him in a park in Mississippi shocked her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her body close to his and kissed her softly.

'Hi.' he said softly, a huge smile on his face. This was pretty close to the exact response he was expecting.

'Hi.' she mumbled back before wrapping her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. It seemed like it had been so long since she had been able to actually touch and feel him and she was a little lost in the moment.

He grinned and kissed the top of her head then moved to kiss Gabby's forehead. It felt so good to have both of his girls back in his arms.

Initially Fitz was going to board his flight out of the country but after the conversation he had last night with Olivia about breaking promises he knew he wouldn't be able to go. Seven months ago when she finally decided to give him a chance he decided right then that he would put her and Gabby first and he needed to keep his word. They were the two most important people in his life and he had been taking them both for granted.

'Let's blow out these candles, okay girls?' he suggested, realizing that his arrival had kind of broken up the vibe of the party.

'I'm ready!' Gabby squealed and nearly bounced straight out of Fitz's arms to get back the cake.

'Woah there, tiger.' he chuckled and caught her, ensuring that she wouldn't fall. 'We can all do them together. Me, you and mommy.'

She smiled widely. 'I like that idea, Fizz!'

'Good.' he smiled and nodded his head.

After Abbey counted down from 5, the 3 of them all blew out the candles on Gabby's cake and then cut into it.

* * *

It was late when they finally made it back to Olivia's apartment that night. They had spent the whole day partying and opening gifts and eating all types of junk food and now they were all tired. Gabby had fallen asleep on the car ride back home and she immediately put her in bed when they walked through the door while Fitz went to the bedroom.

'What are you doing here, Fitz?' she asked as soon as she walked into the room. He was sitting up on the bed with his shoes off and his back against the headboard.

'The bedroom?' he questioned playfully. 'This is typically where people sleep.'

She scoffed and rolled her eyes but smiled as she went to place her shoes in the closet then take off her jewelry. 'Not in the bedroom, dumb dumb. I meant here. I thought you were going to Dubai.'

'I was.' he confirmed. He waited until she returned from the closet to finish his explanation. 'But I changed my mind. Keeping you and Gabby happy is one of my main priorities and I haven't been doing a good job of that lately.'

She crawled into bed beside him and kissed his shoulder before resting her head in the crook of his neck. 'I'm happy today. I'm happy you're here. And I know that Gabby is happy.'

'And I plan on keeping it that way.' he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. 'I cant believe I almost missed the party of the century.'

Olivia chuckled. 'What a travesty that would've been.' she mumbled as her hand slyly moved forward to rest on his lower abs. She let it rest there for a few moments, simply content with being in his presence, before letting it travel lower to the buckle of his brown belt.

Fitz hummed lowly as she made her intentions clear. He tried his best not to be the type of guy who constantly thought about having sex but Olivia made it difficult. Being inside of her warm, slick walls felt like home when he was buried in her balls deep and he loved having his head in between her thighs. He could feel his cock twitching inside of his pants as she moved down to rub him through the fabric. His hips involuntarily thrusted forward as soon as she grasped him.

'Down, boy.' Olivia teased with a smirk at his excitement.

'I want you.' he murmured lowly as he realized she planned on torturing him tonight.

'You want me how?' she whispered in his ear before softly licking the outside shell.

Before he couldn't respond she shifted her weight so that she could straddle his waist. She hadn't had him inside of her for 3 weeks straight and if he really wanted to keep her happy then he'd do something about it. Without another word she began unbuttoning her denim top, exposing herself to him.

Fitz's eyes widened at the sight of the peach colored bra she had on and he licked his lips. He reached down to start undoing his belt buckle and unzipping his zipper as his straining erection pressed firmly against his boxers.

'Do you know how horny I've been, daddy?' she asked, her bottom lip poking out in pout as she finally shed herself of her shirt. 'You haven't come to see me in forever. I've missed you so much.'

Suddenly Fitz's throat went completely dry. It was amazing that she had that power over him. 'I— I've missed you too.' he said before reaching out to caress her now exposed sides and stomach underneath her shirt. Her skin always felt so soft underneath his calloused fingertips and it sometimes made him wonder how he went so long without touching her.

She smiled at his response then slid her shirt off her shoulders then unhooked her bra in the back then threw it to the floor. 'You weren't acting like it. You weren't going to come see me.'

Fitz's hands moved up to her now bare globes and his thumbs ran across her erect nipples. 'Daddy's going to take really good care of you now that he's here.'

Olivia moaned softly as he began kneading her breast and began to grind her hips against his crotch. She reached gently through the hole in his boxers and grabbed his warm member before brining it out. In her opinion Fitz had a beautiful cock. It was nice and long but too wide for her to fit her hand around it. He had a prominent vein that ran from his balls all the way up his shaft that she had learned as extremely sensitive and his tip was wide and pink.

He moaned as Olivia began working her hand up and down his dick. Fitz knew he wouldn't last long if she kept that up and took hold of her wrists to force her to stop. He pushed her back on the bed so that she was laying flat on her back with her head near the end then spread her thighs apart. He quickly went for the button on her jeans and yanked them down her body along with her panties.

'Roll over.' he demanded, his voice low, as he shed himself of his own t-shirt.

Olivia purred softly at his authoritative tone and did as she was instructed. She had received many spanking over the past few months for not following instructions and while she thoroughly enjoyed them they'd have to save it for another time. Right now her need was urgent as her essence began to drip on top of the bed.

Fitz threw his boxers and pants on the floor along with the other clothes and used his hands to squeeze her ass cheeks and spread them apart, exposing her to him fully. He groaned lowly at the sight before him. 'You are so damned beautiful.'

'Give it to me.' she begged softly, her hands clenching down on the fabric of the covers as she braced herself.

He grabbed one of her decorative pillows from the head of the bed and slid it underneath her body to help elevate her bum. She felt as Fitz situated himself above her, laying so that his chest would be against her back and his cock rested right at her entrance. Olivia whimpered as he teased her, allowing his bulbous tip to run up and down her slit and his precum mix with her arousal. He rested his chin on top of her shoulder but braced himself on his elbows as he laid kisses all over the side of her face.

Olivia turned her neck towards him to steal a kiss and slid her tongue into his mouth. This was one of her favorite parts about connecting with him. The taste. It was as if she couldn't get enough of having their mouths smushed together and their tongues dancing to a beat of their own.

Fitz waited until she had gotten lost in their kiss to finally slide into her depths and he smirked when her breath hitched and her back arched. Her walls were spreading to accommodate his girth but it felt as if she was pulling his cock in. He groaned lowly as he started to remember just how good it felt to be inside her and he realized he probably wouldn't last as long tonight. He'd be sure to make it up to her before his visit was over.

Olivia seemed to be choking on air whenever he thrusts back into her and her fingers started to curl as she took hold of the comforter and started pulling it up from the mattress below them. Fitz watched her face contort as the speed of his thrusts increased. The only sound that could be heard was the steady beat of their skin smacking together and the box springs on her bed squeaking and Fitz pounded into her.

Fitz sat up above her on his knees and eased his cock out of her entrance causing her to groan in complaint. He took hold of her hips and helped her sit up on her hands and knees so that she could bend over in front of her. He ran his hands to the center of her body and pressed down so that her back would arch.

'Stay right there.' he commanded before lightly rubbing his cock and sliding it back inside of her.

She cried out but kept her face buried into the bed to try and muffle her sound. Fitz reached around her hip and used two fingers to play with her clit as he continued to plunge in and out of her. His balls began to tighten and he knew he wouldn't last much longer so he slowed down so that he could concentrate on her. He leaned forward and kissed her back as her thighs began to tremble, letting him know she was also almost at her peak.

Olivia pushed her hips back into his cock to encourage him to move but a firm smack to her ass was enough punishment to get her to stop. She wanted to wait so that they could reach their climax together but Fitz knew exactly how to work her body to get what he wanted and a few moments later she splintered into her orgasm; her skin and nerves on fire as it reached the top of her head down to the tips of her toes.

Her body collapsed on top of the bed but he held her still as sought his own orgasm. It didn't take much longer for him to squirt his seed inside of her and he immediately rolled onto his back next to her so he wouldn't squish her body. Fitz knew she kept some tissues close to the bed but they'd have to clean up once he caught his breath.

* * *

The next morning Olivia sat inside of her bathroom on the toilet fully clothed and her hair up in a bun on top of her head. Fitz and Gabby were in the living room making breakfast but she had excused herself for a few moments. It had taken all of the courage she had to work up the nerve to do this but she knew she couldn't hold off forever.

Since she returned from her last trip in DC Olivia hadn't been feeling so well. At first she assumed that her menstrual cycle was going to start soon but when she checked her calendar and realized that she was late she knew something else was going on. Not only that she had been feeling bloated for the past week or so and it seemed as if even the tiniest of smells made her nauseas. All of the signs were similar to when she was pregnant with Gabby but she didn't want to believe it.

Fitz had expressed his desires multiple times to want to start a family with her someday but they hadn't even started planning and she had been freaking out ever since. When she went to the bathroom she was initially too nervous to even pee but she somehow managed and now she was waiting on the result. She had put the timer on and realized that she had another minute and thirty seconds left and now her legs were beginning to shake and her hands were getting clammy.

She was way too afraid of his response to even tell him that she was taking the test but now that she was waiting on the results it was wracking her nerves. She wished somebody could be there to help calm her down but yet here she was sitting on the toilet, nervously waiting on her phone to beep. Olivia didn't know how she'd take it if Fitz said that he wasn't ready to have a baby or that he didn't want to keep it. She knew it would be her final decision in the end but it would break her heart knowing that he didn't want anything to do with a child they made together. She had already experienced that with Gabby's father and she didn't want a repeat.

It was times like these that she hated that she allowed her ex so much power over the way she thought and felt and acted. Olivia found herself constantly having to be reminded that Fitz was nothing like him and that he'd never do anything to hurt her but it didn't stop her from shutting him out from time to time.

She thought about calling her best friend, Abbey, to help keep her nerves down while she waiting but she refrained. It was only then that she realized that the only person she really wanted to be around right then was Fitz and he was right in the other room. Olivia bit down on her bottom lip before glancing down at the timer then stood up from the toilet.

'Fitzgerald!' she screamed loudly to get his attention. Sometimes if he was preoccupied with Gabby he'd drag his feet or come slowly but she didn't have time for that today. She wanted him in the bathroom when the test showed the results.

Olivia heard him drop something, most likely a pan, when she called his name and figured that they'd most likely have to go out for breakfast since whatever he made was most likely scattered across the floor. A few moments later Fitz came running into the master bedroom wearing a tshirt, a pair of sweatpants, and a pink cooking apron that was obviously Olivia's. The only time he ever heard her scream his name like that was when he had her pinned up against a wall so he figured something was wrong.

'Livvie, whats wrong? Are you hurt? What happened?' he asked as he ran to where she was standing. She had her arms folded across her chest but he gently rested his palms on either side of her elbows as he glanced over her to check for any obvious signs of bodily harm.

She blushed as she realized that maybe she had been a little too dramatic. Olivia looked away from his gaze and off to the side as if the wall had just become so interesting. 'Nothings wrong. I'm fine.'

His mouth turned up into a smirk. 'Then why'd you call my name like that you silly little woman?'

'I just—' she sighed and unfolded her arms and handed him the pregnancy test.

It was Fitz's turn to blush as he looked down at it in his hands. 'Oh my.'

She raised her head so that she could see his face and gauge his reaction. His eye were wide and his mouth was slightly ajar. 'Are you mad?' she asked softly.

'Mad?' he asked, eyebrows now furrowed. It was only then he saw the look of panic and worry on her face and he could only imagine how long she had been trying to keep this a secret. It was just like her to try and keep things like this a secret and try to handle it on her own. 'Of course I'm not mad. How much longer do we have left?'

'Maybe another 40 seconds or so.' she answered.

'Well, then we're going to wait.' he smiled warmly at her before taking her hand and leading her over to the bed. They both sat down and Fitz set the test on his thigh. 'How long have you been thinking about this?'

'Maybe the past week and a half.' she confessed. 'Fitz do you think we're ready for a baby?'

'I think we are.' he nodded his head, still smiling. He wanted a family with Olivia more than anything so a positive test result would put him over the moon. 'Sure we'd have to adjust but it wont be that bad. And once you're my baby mama I'm going to move you into my penthouse and keep you barefoot and and pregnant.' he grinned.

A wide smile took over Olivia's face before she broke into a fit of giggles. It never ceased to amaze her that Fitz could make her laugh even in her most stressful of moments. He took that opportunity to lean down and kiss her lips.

Right as Fitz pulled away the timer on Olivia's phone off, letting them know that the test was done. It was sitting right below them but neither would look down to see the results. At this point the results of the test didn't matter to her. She felt like she could conquer the world as long as she had Fitz by her side while she did it.

'I love you. No matter what this test says. We're in this together.' he said with conviction before reaching down to take hold of her hands and kissing her fingers.

Olivia nodded her head. 'We're in this together.'

This would be the start of something new.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Don't kill me even though I know you'll try but that's where I'm leaving it. I wanted to give it an open ended ending so you call can make your own interpretations about what all you think would happen. Also I never intend to make these things as long as what they are. The goal was 10,000 words but obviously that didn't work out in my favor.**_

 _ **I started writing this when I was 18/19ish? and I finished it up finally and I wanted to share it with you all. There were a couple things I would've wanted to do differently but I tried to keep it as close to the original story line as possible. Had to respect my wishes lol. Consider this my Valentines Day gift to you all. Also excuse any typos. I always end up updating at like 1 in the morning and my proof reading skills are in the toilet.**_

 _ **For those of you still watching the show I hope you all are in enjoying the new season! I live tweet on Thursday nights as long as I dont have too much work to do. My Twitter name is lynalexandria which is the same as my FF name.**_

 _ **Anyway as usual leave me a review and tell me the things you like or dislike or your favorite parts! I was super excited to write about Gabby because none of my stories have little kids in them and she was a fun little subject for me! Until next time!**_


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